CSD

Clinic Scope of Services

Graduate Program

Western's Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s program is nationally accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The graduate program in speech - language pathology is a 44 to 46 semester-hour program culminating in a full time, off-campus internship completed during the final semester.
CSD graduate students take advanced coursework and undertake an extensive program of clinical practicum. Graduate class sizes average 18 - 20 students. Practicum experiences are in the WIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, as well as a number of off-campus hospitals, nursing homes, Schools, rehabilitation centers, etc. Students gain experience working with clients of various ages, and with a variety of speech, language, and hearing disorders.

At the completion of the B.S. and the M.S. degrees, all CSD students meet both academic and clinical practicum requirements necessary for obtaining the Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA and licensure for the state of Illinois. Both ASHA and the state of Illinois also require the successful completion of a national exam and a clinical fellowship year. Students who have completed the coursework, practicum, and examinations required for Type 73 certification are eligible for employment in the schools.

Our faculty provide a supportive environment for students to grow as professionals and as a result our students have a high success rate in meeting the requirements to become a practicing SLP and in finding a job after graduation. See our "Student Outcome Data" for more information.

Admission and Degree Requirements

Applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or at least 3.25 in the last two years of undergraduate work, and they must submit three letters of recommendation, official GRE scores, and a personal statement to be considered for regular admission. Admission fee is US$30.00.

Students who wish to obtain a master’s degree and/or meet the State licensure and national certification must have completed courses equivalent to Western’s undergraduate CSD course of study, which are listed in the Graduate Studies catalog. Students who wish to obtain a public school certification (Type 73) must also meet all teacher certification requirements established by the State of Illinois and Western.

The 44 to 46 semester hours of graduate coursework consists of 17 core courses, a minimum of 3 s.h. of elective courses with graduate adviser approval, and the completion of CSD 601 (Thesis) for 3 .s.h. OR CSD 603 (Research project) for 1 s.h.

For school certification, 3 s.h. of CSD 521 (methods in Public Schools) and 6 s.h. of CSD 522 (Clinical Practicum in Public Schools) are required.